The Book Nook Chronicles

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Something wild happened at the end of last year.

After roughly 20 months of try to have our first baby and two miscarriages in, my husband and I were tired (both physically and mentally). We took the month of August for ourselves. We let ourselves live, let ourselves breathe, let ourselves grieve, and most importantly let ourselves find joy again. My body was finally regulating itself, but having gone through one miscarriage previously, I knew it might take a few months for everything to get back to “normal”. So, when my period was late, I didn’t think much of it.

When it hadn’t show up in almost a week, I finally caved and made my husband buy a pregnancy test on his way home from work. The next morning I took it and it was positive. Like REALLY positive. September 2, 2025 will always live rent-free in my head as the day we found out we were pregnant.

To say my first trimester wasn’t easy is an understatement. Along with all of the physical changes that come with the first three months of pregnancy, I was still processing that trauma that came with our second miscarriage on top of the memory of the first. We kept baby to ourselves a lot longer than most because of it. As any woman who has had symptoms during her pregnancies will tell you, the first three months are a rollercoaster without all of those emotions. So from September through November, I was battling three major aversions: food, my anxiety, and books. I’m not kidding. Chalk it up to exhaustion or nausea, I could NOT pick up a book to save my life.

I had started one of the books recommended to me by one of the donors from my American Cancer Society Challenge before we learned about Baby Book Nook and I was able to finish it before things got really bad. That is why my one and only read for September was my first V.E. Schwab, The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue. Shout out to one of my husband’s aunts for the recommendation.

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue Review

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4 on StoryGraph

Genre: Fiction

Author: V.E. Schwab

Page Count: 444

Publication Date: October 6, 2020

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue is a dance with death and a eulogy for life.

Blurring the lines between existing and disappearing, this novel follows the life of Adeline LaRue, or Addie, a woman who makes a deal with a dark spirit, Luc, in 1714 France. She gets eternal life, but at a cost: no one can remember her. With this curse, Addie experiences both life and death at once, living through 300 years of history across continents and eras without sticking in a single person’s mind.

That is until she meets Henry, a modern-day bookshop owner in New York…who miraculously remembers her. As we come to find out, Addie and Henry have one thing in common: they’ve both made deals with the devil. Due to their connection with Luc, they are able to exist together and find strength and love through their mutual mistakes.

Schwab does a fantastic job of spotlighting humanity’s never-ending desire to be remembered, even in death. She also explores the loneliness that comes with being, or simply feeling, forgotten. It’s a beautiful ode to the human condition and how, when you meet the right person, all of that can change.

I find Addie to be such a compelling character, especially after Henry shows up. Throughout the development of Addie and Henry’s relationship, it becomes clear that a part of Addie loves Luc, the spirit who cursed her with immortality. It’s hard to tell if it’s the power struggle with Luc or his ability to give her more time that she loves. Personally, I could not stand him and didn’t understand her infatuation (I’m not here for a stealer of joy). In the end, I think Addie is in an internal love triangle with her own loneliness and love. She cannot decide if she wants to be remembered or simply wants to existing.

I will warn you that I found this novel a little long and was infuriated by the ending. If you’re able to look past that, I highly recommend adding The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue to your TBR.